People in the mining sector aren’t exactly the shy, retiring types. It’s a tough industry, both mentally and physically. Any psychologist will tell you it’s healthy to let off steam, so this page is dedicated to those with a mind to have their say…
A recent study by Beyond Recruitment claimed that 60 per cent of women in mining don’t report discrimination for fear their claims will not be taken seriously by their male superior. This caused quite a stir with our readers…
“Doesn’t matter where they are working, nobody should be discriminated nor put up with that.”
Pat
“I moved from my first employer because blokes who drank with the bosses at the bar were moving up the ranks quicker and women were never taken seriously or given a fair go….. my new employer is the complete opposite and it’s a good work environment where male and females are equal. Keep your heads up chicks there can be light at the end of the tunnel :)”
Nat
“Might be time they open their eyes and realise where they are working, last time I checked they were not in a beauty salon.”
Andrew
When the Mayor of Isaac Regional Council claimed that 100% FIFO workforces will “destroy the wealth of regional Queensland”, she created a storm of debate:
“I was FIFO to Moranbah for over 3 years. I stayed in camps close to town and bought food and services from the town. Most of my colleagues did the same. I think it’s crap that FIFO destroys a town personally.”
Neil
“Mining towns are a great place to live when you give them a chance. I’d much rather go home and have dinner with my family than have to look at some bloke’s ugly mug over a plate of reheated spaghetti bog.”
Davo
“I’m FIFO into Moranbah. I work with blokes that live in the area. There’s not hundreds of experienced people sitting around Moranbah and district waiting for a job and there are three or four new projects on the go as it.”
Adam
A preference for employing temporary workers is an emerging trend in the Australian resources sector, according to the latest Hays Quarterly Hotspots report. Our readers shared their experiences:
“It’s sad because the labour hire companies are stepping in and driving down wages and conditions. I’d much rather contract directly to the mine than… with labour hire who takes their cut of my wage.”
Ben
“Sign of the times. Everyone’s afraid of commitment these days…”
Suz
When the AMMA called for resouce sector wages to be reined in, our readers made a few calls of their own:
“We go out and work in small towns and some of us don’t even get a town, just a camp, and they still think we earn too much. They should try working a 12.5 hour day and then travel on top of that. And do it all to get a start in life. But they think we just sit back and just put our hand out. If you cut our wages any more we may all be putting our hand out and there will be more people out of work and less tax being paid…”
Richard
“Oh ok, so you’s want everyone in the industry to earn less money? Cool, then who will inherit the ‘debt tax’, who will pay for expensive and rarely used ‘private health’ cover just to avoid a 7k tax bill at the end of every year? (Placing even more pressure on an already failing public health system). And not to mention the inflated living cost that comes with living in a ‘mining town’ just so you can enjoy some sort of work/life balance? I think it’s time they stopped flogging the people working in the resource sector (in the middle of one of the biggest downturns) and start focusing more on where our taxes are spent and who they are spent on…”
Kial
Got something to say? Join the conversation on www.qmeb.com.au, facebook/QldMiningEnergy or email the Editor at miningeditor@aprs.com.au.
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